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What causes dizziness on standing up? 7 possible conditions

What Is Orthostatic
Hypotension?

Orthostatic hypotension (also called postural hypotension) is a sudden fall in blood pressure that
occurs upon standing quickly. Blood pressure is the force of your blood against
the walls of your arteries (the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart through
the body). Hypotension is the term
for low blood pressure.

When you stand up, gravity pulls blood into your legs, and
your blood pressure begins to fall. Certain reflexes in your body compensate
for this change. Your heart beats faster to pump more blood, and your blood
vessels constrict to prevent blood from pooling in your legs. Many drugs can
affect these normal reflexes and lead to orthostatic hypotension. These
reflexes may also begin to weaken as we age. For this reason, orthostatic
hypotension is common in the elderly.

People with orthostatic hypotension feel dizzy when they
stand up. The condition is often mild and lasts for just a few minutes after
standing. Some people may faint (temporarily lose consciousness).

What Causes Orthostatic
Hypotension?

There are many causes for orthostatic hypotension. These include:

dehydration

anemia (low red blood cell count)

a drop in blood volume (hypovolemia) caused by
certain drugs such as thiazide diuretics and loop diuretics

How Is Orthostatic
Hypotension Diagnosed?

If your doctor suspects that you have orthostatic
hypotension, he or she will check your blood pressure while you are sitting,
lying down, and standing. The doctor can diagnose orthostatic hypotension if
your systolic blood pressure drops by 20 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or your
diastolic blood pressure drops by 10 mm Hg within three minutes of standing up
(Mayo
Clinic, 2011).

The doctor may also conduct a physical examination, check
your heart rate, or order certain tests to find the condition’s underlying
cause. These tests may include:

complete blood count (CBC) to check for anemia

EKG (electrocardiogram) to check the rhythm of
your heart

echocardiogram

stress test (measuring your heart rate during
exercise)

tilt table test (lying on a table that moves
from horizontal to upright to test for fainting)

How Is Orthostatic
Hypotension Treated?

Treatment for orthostatic hypotension depends on the cause.
Treatment may include the following changes in lifestyle:

if you are dehydrated, you should increase your
fluid and water intake and limit your alcohol intake

stand up slowly when getting out of a chair or
bed

perform isometric exercises before getting up to
help raise your blood pressure—for instance, squeezing a rubber ball or a towel
in your hand

if a medication may be the cause, your doctor
may adjust dose or switch you to another medication

The heart rate is the number of beats (rhythmic contractions) per minute of the heart (the muscular organ in the center of the chest that maintains circulation of the blood) and is a measure of cardiac activity.

Autonomic neuropathy is a condition that results from damage to nerves that help organ and organ systems function. It's often a complication associated with other medical conditions, diseases, and certain medications.

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